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Zoey, JD, Lawyer

Category: Consumer Protection Law

Satisfied Customers: 23586

Experience: 18+ years of NYS litigation experience.

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I was notified by Am. Publishers' Netowk that I won $XXXX.XX

Customer Question

I was notified by Am. Publishers' Netowk that I won $XXXX.XX last Fe. 6 but did not claims for it. The 90 days period to claim my prize has expired. I am still entitled to receive the money but I need to send 10% of my winning to - First ONe Contracting in Mathews Township in North Carolina to start the process of reclaiming my prize. I am not sure if this is a scam or not. Is this the standard procedure to reclaim an unclaimed prize money? I need your advise before I send the money. Thank YOu.

Submitted: 1 year ago.

Category: Consumer Protection Law

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Customer:replied 1 year ago.

Posted by JustAnswer at customer's request) Hello. I would like to request the following Expert Service(s) from you: Live Phone Call. Let me know if you need more information, or send me the service offer(s) so we can proceed.

Unfortunately, you are the target of a contest fraud. This is just a means of phishing for your personal information and trying to get as much money from you as the scammers who contacted you can steal.

How do I know that? How can you know that? The biggest reason, is that they asked you for an up-front fee. It doesn’t matter what they say that money is for and if that reason makes sense to you. If you have to pay any money out of pocket at all to collect money that is supposedly already yours, that is ALWAYS a scam. If a contest is sitting with YOUR money they don't need any more from you. Legitimate contests would deduct their expenses from the money that they already possess and then hand over the rest of it to you, free and clear with no strings attached.

Another reason I know this is a scam is that if you’d won a real contest, you wouldn't need to ask a question here. You'd have a lottery ticket with winning numbers on it if you entered a lottery, and you'd have your half of the sweepstakes entry with your numbers on it, if you'd ever entered a sweepstakes. Scammers always want their victims to believe that you can win a contest you have never entered, but they are lying. You must always actually enter a contest to be able to win, and your ticket or your half of your original entry form is required verification when you go to claim your prize. There is no other acceptable confirmation of winnings.

Any time you get an unsolicited out of the blue message with news that is much too good to be true, it is a scam, each and every time.

You can learn everything you need to know about fake contests here:

http://www.consumerfraudreporting.org/lotteryscamnamesUV.php

Cease all contact with these scammers, send no money. There is no award. You have not won a contest. You are dealing with thieves. Report the fraud to the police, to the FBI at IC3.gov, and to the Federal Trade Commission at FTC.gov.